Up in the Redwoods…

A few weeks ago Derek & I went up to the Redwoods (a few hours north of us) to do a bit of sign work. While there, we couldn’t help but take in some of the gorgeous sights!

Derek demonstrating the human to bear size difference…yikes!

“One-log house”. This is just as it sounds, a huge log that was hollowed out and made into a house. Unfortunately it was closed when we were there and you can’t even peek inside! However, I looked up some photos and it seems pretty cute on the inside. 

I made a friend!

one armed lumberjack…he was huge!

We stopped alongside the highway and hiked down to the Russian River! It was beautiful!

One last blurry, out of the van window shot for the road…..

We had a great time on our brief visit to the gorgeous Redwoods of Northern California. I highly recommend a visit!

xoxo,

Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal

Rose Garden Gals

The ever lovely Mary Van Note & I had a wonderful day picnicking in the springtime sun and taking in the sights of the Berkeley Rose Garden!

The Berkeley Rose Garden is a gorgeous garden in the Berkeley Hills that features 3,000 rose bushes and 250 varieties of roses! It was completed in 1937 and was one of the first Civil Works Progress Projects built under the WPA.

Mary wore a gorgeous lavender 1940′s floral day dress with off-the-shoulder ruffles and a button back,  white espadrilles, adorable wicker purse shaped like an umbrella, cute vintage sunglasses and an AMAZING magenta felt hat!

I wore a lovely 1950′s floral day dress that I bought years ago at a little vintage shop in Hawaii; 1940′s navy peep toe shoes, my 1920′s/1930′s sunglasses and a white wicker purse that was a birthday gift from my mom.

peek-a-boo! Mary’s hat helps her to blend into the floral surroundings…

I had such a great time frolicking around with Mary, wearing our pretty dresses and smelling roses! I can’t think of many better ways to spend a beautiful spring day!

xoxo,
Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal

(Thanks to Mary Van Note for these photos!)

A nite of feathers, art deco and film noir: Maltese Falcon at the Paramount

This past Friday I attended Classic Movie Nite at the GORGEOUS Paramount Theater in Oakland. The movie of the month was the fabulous film noir The Maltese Falcon.

I was joined by the wonderful and glamorous Mary Van Note and our gents (you can spot a quick glimpse of Derek below, but Mary’s fella Ben stayed behind the lens).

We gussied up in gorgeous feathers, provided by Mary (you can buy the one I’m wearing in her etsy shop!) and our forties best. It was great fun and the movie was wonderful! Humphrey Bogart can do no wrong in my eyes…plus he’s a total dreamboat.

Enough blabbing…..feast your eyes on the jaw-dropping beauty of this theater!!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Paramount Theater in Oakland, don’t pass it up! It is truly breathtaking. They offer tours as well as events such as the classic movie night.

What a wonderful night!!

Thanks to the lovely Mary Van Note for these photos and her boyfriend Ben for graciously photographing us in a crowded theater!

xoxo,

Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal

My birthday: exploring a Chinese ghost town and other adventures…

Today is my 29th birthday!

Derek & I always celebrate by taking a drive to explore new and interesting areas. Today we headed out to Locke, California. Locke is located just off the Sacramento River, about 60 miles from Berkeley.

Locke is a small town that was built by Chinese farm workers in 1915, when the Chinatown of  a neighboring town called Walnut Grove burned in a fire.  The town was a hub of activity for the Chinese community from the 1920′s thru 1940′s. There were several restaurants, bars, stores and even a movie theater where they showed black and white films in the twenties!

Today there is not much activity left in this small town. In fact, I only saw two business open on the main street. It is sad to see the town so empty, but it is in good hands as it has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Now for the photos…….

Derek, strolling the streets

Hey…there I am!

Derek made a friend.

favorite picture.

We also drove through a town called Isleton, Ca. It had a lot of interesting buildings, some of which were obviously Chinese businesses as well. The town was more happenin’ than Locke….but not by much.

(Oh, we peeked through the windows of the local Dry Goods store and saw STACKS of deadstock clothes & hats!! It was all locked up and we couldn’t determine the era of the items, but I’d LOVE to get in there and shop! Perhaps next time we’ll try to find someone in charge.)

Here’s a bit of Isleton:

I had a great day exploring these interesting towns with my honey and even came home to some birthday goodies in the mail! Today was a good day!

xoxo,

Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal

The most amazing blouse ever made.

Vintage lovin’ friends, be warned.

You may faint or at least swoon a great deal at the sight of this glorious blouse.

Isn’t is lovely?

I tried this blouse on at the San Francisco Vintage Expo & it was love at first sight. I had to have it.

Luckily, the price was reasonable so I jumped on it.

I love this double collar. It’s so interesting! The bottom one is tacked down & the top collar is free.

Those bows! Those buttons! Oh dear….

Check out the lovely matching belt…sigh.

Now for a peek at the back! (via horribly lit photos…..)

The back buttons all the way up & this is the only way to get into the blouse! I amazingly buttoned myself into it one day, but  having an assistant is quite helpful.

Here I am wearing the blouse on the second day of the expo with my lovely pal Mary Van Note!

(Thanks to Christina of Skirt Chaser Vintage for this photo!)

Until next time friends, keep your eye out for those special vintage treasures…you never know when you’ll find the perfect piece!

xoxo,

Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal

Style Inspiration: Beatrix Ost

The website Advanced Style is so inspiring and captivating. I adore all of the “Advanced Style ladies”, but when I saw Beatrix Ost, I was awestruck.

Something about her strikes me. She is so classically elegant yet avant garde. Plus, her turbans are to die for. Take a look for yourself.

(all photos belong to Ari Seth Cohen and Advanced Style)

Watch Beatrix speaking about positive thinking here! It’s wonderful.

Do yourself a favor & take a look at the Advanced Style site, if you haven’t already. I can’t wait to get my hands on Ari Seth Cohen’s book about these gorgeous gals.

Ooohh…one last thing! Check out the trailer for the Advanced Style Documentary here!

xoxo,

Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal

Nevada’s oldest thirst parlor & other western adventures

It sure seems like this blog is more about my travels than “vintage things”, but my outings tend to involve historic places and things, so I hope you’re all still interested!

This weekend I visited Nevada’s oldest town, Genoa. The town was founded in 1851 when explorers set up a trading post that attracted fellow travelers and trappers to visit and eventually settle in the area.

In Nevada’s oldest town is Nevada’s oldest bar…who would have guessed?! It is called the Genoa Bar and is awesome.

The Genoa Bar is quite the hot spot in these parts.

They claim to have never dusted the bar and I believe them. It is an amazing little building packed to the brim with “stuff”, some really old and some not so much.

a peek inside the Genoa Bar..

We got a few drinks with my boyfriend’s family  (who live nearby) and sat in the sun, enjoying the scenery.

On our way home from Nevada to California, Derek & I stumbled across this roadside stop that had a photo area too good to pass up!

I enjoyed my stint as an old west showgirl.

Meanwhile, Derek got locked up!

Inside the souvenir shop, I tried on a few hats & drooled over children’s western costumes.

I had to try on this kid’s cowboy hat.

coonskin caps!

I couldn’t resist..and I think I love it.

Why is this not in an adult size?!

Kids get all the cool stuff…….

Once I was through “horsing around” at the souvenir shop, Derek & I headed on to the next town. That town was Placerville, Ca and it was lovely. Here are a few shots of the downtown area.

I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I enjoyed these adventures!

xoxo,

Tina

Vintage Lovin’ Gal